Article dispenser



Aug 21., l951 G. T. KITAHARA ARTICLE DISPENSER Filed May 31, 1949 ZSMI/W56 -JNVENTOE TH H A EA fo/Gf T Kl T ToRNE y.

Patented Aug. 21. 1951 George T. Kitahara, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application May 31, 1949, Serial No. 96,310

Claims. (Cl. S12-78) This invention relates to means and ways fordispensing articles and especially elongated articles such ascigarettes, cigars, and toothpicks and the like. The device of thisinvention is so constructed and arranged that only a single article atatime is projected and made available for delivery, but should thearticle not be entirely removed from the device and the device released,the article immediately returns automatically into the device where itis fully protected. When the article is projected by the simpleoperation of a manually controlled push button, the articles within thedevice are automatically agitated and arranged so as to ready the nextsingle article to be dispensed or placed in a position for manualremoval. When the device is employed for dispensing cigarettes, eachcigarette therein is carefully handled by the mechanism so as not to bedamaged but nevertheless agitated suiciently for predetermining theposition 0f the lower cigarettes in order to avoid clogging of thedevice.

One of the principal objects of this invention is topresent a new andnovel device for dispensing articles which is simple, durable,dependable, convenient, inexpensive, compact, efcient, and pleasing andattractive in appearances and suitable for use wherever found applicableregardless of the particular elongated article to be dispensed or placedin. a position for manual removal from the device.

Another object is to provide a cigarettedispenser which is economical tomake and manufacture and which is designed and of such configurationthat it can be installed in the dashboard of an automobile or othervehicle, or in some convenient place on airplanes and water craft.

Other objects, advantages and featuresof this invention Iwill appearfrom a careful perusal of the accompanying drawings, the subjoineddetailed description, the preamble of these specifications, and theappended claims. l

Below, applicant describes in particularity one of the preferable formsof his invention in order to teach the art thereof and make it clear howthe device can be made and used, but it is to be understood that thedrawings and description thereof are not to limit the invention in anysense whatsoever except as the same is limited by the prior art.Language employed herein is not, to be construed as giving anyunauthorized person or organization the right to make, use and/or sellthe invention herein disclosed.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a front perspective view of the device of this invention,

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the drivers compartmentof an automobile showing the device of this invention installed in thedashboard thereof,

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of the device and this view Iwastaken substantially along the line 3--3 of Fig. l,

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view of the right handv portion ofthe device as shown in Fig. 3,

Figure 5 is a view similar to that shown in Fig. 4 with certain partsomitted, but those parts shown being in a different position as thedispenser button is shown in its most inward position,

Figure 6 shows in perspective view a few details so that the operationcan be better understood.

The device consists of a base member I having a top cover or shell 2which are neatly congurated and designed so that the device can readilybe installed in the dashboard 3 of the automobile illustrated in Fig. 2.The base platform has the end upright walls 4 and 5 xed thereto, andthese end walls snugly iit into the top covering 2 and slidingly engagethe end walls 6 and I of the top covering. The top covering 2 also hasthe front wall 8 and the rear wall 9 so that the interior mechanism iscompletely covered and protected when the cover 2 is snugly slid ontothe base platform.

The front wall of the covering 2 has an open- I ing or bore I0 throughwhich the cigarette is protruded,` such a cigarette being indicated atII.

Another opening or bore I2 is provided at a lower corner of the frontwall which accommodates the rod I3 having the push button end I4, asshown.

The end wall 5 of the base platform has an opening 5' and this openingleading into a larger opening l in the end wall 'I of the cover. Thisend wall is cemented or otherwise secured to the veneer outer portion ofthe cover as shown. The larger opening I accommodates the piston-likeend I5 of the push rod and also the eyelet-like stop ring I6 which issecured to the top or side of the opening 'I'.

At the central portion of the device and in alinement with the bore I0,there is a cigarette accommodatingv groove II, and this groove is formedby the pair Iof spaced apart lateral guide elements I8 and I9. The rearend parts of these guide elements are cut away to form overhanging arms20 so as to provide an under slot and thus permit free movement of thepusher end 22 of the pivoted lever 23. This lever is shaped Aas shownwith the form of an obtuse angle and is pivoted by means of a suitablepin at 24 which bridges the gap of the slot opening 5'.

A pair of plates 25 and 26 have their end margins tacked to the rabbetportions at the tops 0f the walls 4 and 5 respectively, and these platesconverge at a lower level to form an open feed trough or slot 21. Theplate 26, however, is somewhat higher than the plate 25 at their` lowerends soas to provide a suitable opening 28 to accommodate a cigarettecontroller and agitator element 29. This opening must be large enough toallow the controller sufcient movement as indicated by the dotted linesin Fig. 3. The congeration of this controller can best be understood byreferring to Fig. 6, wherein it is shown that the controller is a wirebent in the form of a U at its distal end and has its side legs 30 and3| curved and the ends of which are loosely wrapped about a pintle 32that is supported at its ends by the bent down portions 33 of the plate26. One leg of the controller is extended, as indicated at 34, and thisextension enters the loop of the hair-pin-like operating arm 35 which isxed to the block 33. The block 36 is secured to the lever` 23 and rocksto and fro as the lever 23 is reciprocated by the piston i5. Thisrocking action of the block 3B causes the controller to rock vertically,note Fig. 3, and this action agitates the cigarettes in the hopper 31 soas to prevent the cigarettes at the throat 21 from jamming so as towedge and block the passage. This is a very important feature and makesthe device dependably workable. A ribbon spring 38 is provided toconstantly urge the lever 23 rearwardly, one end of this spring beingfixed to the wall and the other end unattached so that it can glidealong one side of the lever, as shown. Any suitable stop, such as astud, may be employed to limit the spring action return of the lever. Aflange or wire loop 39 is fixed to the lever in the position shown forthe purposes of pushing the cigarette from the groove ll when the lever23 is worked.

A very important hair-pin-like spring wire member 40 is shown as iixedto the block 36 and positioned so that its end 4l clears the groove l'lwhen this end 4| is in its rearwardmost position. This member 40 isadjusted to a level so that its end 4l is located between the top of thecigarette Il and its central axis, so that when the lever 23 isprojected forward by the piston I5, the end of this spring member 40will be forced upwardly to the top of the cigarette and wedge it betweenthe end l of the member 40 and the top surface of the lever 23 and thuscause the lever to protrude the cigarette through the bore I0 of thecover, but in the event the cigarette is not manually removed and thepush button I4 released, the cigarette will be returned into the grooveand completely withdrawn from its protruded position so that thereturned cigarette is fully protected from damage and from drying actionof the exterior atmosphere. A sponge, or any other thing that can holdmoisture, may be inserted in the compartment provided at 42.

Itis, of course, understood that various changes and modifications maybe made in the details of form, style, design, and construction of thewhole or any part of the specifically described embodiment of thisinvention without departing from the spirit thereof in that such changesand modiiications are considered as being within the scope of thefollowing claims.

I claim:

1. In a dispensing device for articles, the device comprising a housinghaving a chamber within that is divided by a partition means which isdeclined toward an article passage, a groove beneath the passage adaptedto accommodate but a single article at a time, a bore through'thehousing in alinement with the groove, a lever means within the housingconnected with a control means so that the lever means can be shiftedfrom without the housing, an agitating means extending across a portionof the passage and connected to the lever means so that the agitatingmeans is operated when the lever means is operated and thus preventjamming at the said passage, and push means consisting of a cantileverspring and which is connected to the lever means for moving the articlefrom a portion of the groove and through the bore of the housing.

2. The device recited in claim 1 wherein the agitating means is aU-shaped wire having curved legs which are parallel and which support ahorizontal yoke, the said agitating means having a pivot connectionWithin the chamber and so positioned that the yoke thereof acts as astop for some of the articles when the lever means is in its normalposition.

3. In a dispensing device for cigarettes, the device comprising acompletely closed housing which provides an interior chamber, declinedwall means dividing the chamber into an upper hopper and an underchamber which accommodates the working mechanism, a passage through alower portion of the wall means, a groove alined with and beneath thepassage, a discharge bore through the housing in alinement with thegroove, a lever pivoted near one end thereof having a portion at itsdistal end which passes along a portion of the said groove, and meansconnected with the lever which springingly engages and holds therearward end of a cigarette in said groove so that the cigarette moveswith the lever in its movement and the forward end of the cigarette isprotruded through the discharge bore.

4. The device recited in claim 3 wherein the lever is controlledexteriorly of the housing by a push button means, and means connected tothe lever which extends over the groove for the purpose of preventingjamming of cigarettes over the groove.

5. In a dispensing device for articles, the device comprising a housinghaving a chamber within that is divided by a partition means which isdeclined toward an article passage, a groove beneath the passage adaptedto accommodate but a single article at a time, a bore through thehousing in alinement with the groove, a lever means within the housingconnected with a control means so that the levei` means can be shiftedfrom without the housing, an agitating means extending across a portionof the passage and connected to the lever means so that the agitatingmeans is operated when the lever means is operated and thus preventjamming at the said passage, and push means connected to the lever meansfor moving the article from a portion of the groove and through the boreoi the housing, the push means including a spring clip means whichgrasps the article when in the groove at the time the lever means isoperated.

GEORGE T. KITAHARA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 598,718 Thompson Feb. 8, 1898693,933 Webb Feb. 25, 1902 763,567 Pevoto June 28, 1904 1,703,352 MooreFeb. 26, 1929

